July 24 Granite State

Minke whales were most definitely out and about today as we spotted 7 Minke whales this morning and 9 this afternoon! 

First Minke whale of the day

This Minke whale's dorsal fin is definitely unique due to some interesting indentations seen on this whale's fin from our morning trip.

Along with all of these whales sighted today we also had a few extra stops on marine life this morning. We were fortunate to find a small group of Atlantic white-sided dolphins during our travels to Jeffreys Ledge today. 

Dolphins swimming in towards us

This group of 10-12 whales were being so mellow we were able to get some incredible looks as they would swim in towards the boat, circle around, and mosey around the area with minimal speed. There were even a few mother/calf pairs with some super tiny young ones in the mix! Our last sighting of Atlantic white-sided dolphins was on July 6 so it was definitely a special treat to once again get a chance to spend time with these toothed whales. 

Atlantic white-sided dolphins (above and below)

Not soon after our dolphins we also found another creature-feature in our area. An Ocean sunfish was at the surface. 

Ocean sunfish

This fish swam full circle around the boat giving all of our passengers some nice looks at this large bony fish. 

Dolphins weren't the only types of marine life swimming around the boat. This Ocean sunfish also spent time circling us!

Before heading back home we were lucky enough to find one more species spending time on Jeffreys Ledge this morning. A humpback whale suddenly made itself known off of our starboard side. Low and behold, guess who it was??? Pinball was apparently on the move as this whale, in which we had just seen on Monday morning, was miles and miles from her last sighting. Whales are constantly searching for large amounts of food so it is quite normal to see the same animal in different locations. The major questions always ends up being when do they decide to move and what direction do they decide to swim? That is something only a whale can answer, all we can do is attempt to predict/guess some of these answers. What a lucky sighting of one of the familiar individuals seen this year.

Incoming Pinball!



Pinball's large tail as she dives next to us

This afternoon we once again stopped, watched, and sometimes even passed a few Minke whales as they kept showing up! A total of 9 of these whales were seen throughout out travels this afternoon getting some great looks at so many whales. 

Minke whale beyond the Isles of Shoals

Another Minke whale

We then headed a bit further offshore in attempts to relocate Pinball from our morning travels. Our luck paid off, not a moment too late, for just as we turned for home one of our crew members (AW) saw a spout! Pinball was still around as she was actually 6 miles away from where we had left her this morning! 

Pinball

Luck, a bit of predictions as to her movements, and a lot of hope helped us search as much as possible in order to find this whale once again this afternoon. What a nice way to end our day with some more looks at this adult female Humpback whale. 

Deeper dive for Pinball

Thanks to all the whales, and all of our passengers, for searching and enjoying today's sightings as much as we did. 

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